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Video Game Rifle Modeled After Real Gun Stirs Controversy

Gaming fan, David Kotkin, has stirred up a bit of controversy by creating a hyper-realistic video game controller designed to look, feel and act like a G36 semi-automatic rifle.

The video game controller features just about everything that you would expect to find on a fully functional assault rifle, minus the killing power of real bullets. The user can reload his weapon by tapping a button on the magazine and the sensor replicates the feel of looking down a weapon scope. Kotkin even installed a rumble pack so that the weapon vibrates whenever a user pulls the trigger.

ABC Local reports that critics have called the gun too realistic, but Kotkin assures viewers that the gun is as harmless as any other toy.

"This cannot hurt anybody," Kotkin said. "This is electronics inside of it. It's just a controller. But is it training the player to hurt somebody? Well you have a point there. Have I made it too good? Sometimes I wonder."

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Kotkin believes the controller could represent the next phase of gaming where players use lifelike representations of guns rather than standard video game controllers.

Despite the uproar, Kotkin has more than enough support to move ahead with his project. The so-called Delta Six controller amassed nearly $200,000 in funding and has been praised by video game websites. IGN called it, “The weirdest coolest most awesome controller we have seen in a long time!”

It is not surprising that critics have rallied against the gun, but complaints against the realistic gun are based more on emotion than fact. Studies have proven time and time again that there is no correlation between video game violence and real-life violence. In fact, some studies seem to suggest the opposite, that less violent cultures tend to favor violent video games.

Do you think that children and other games have no business using lifelike guns? Or are you of the opinion that it’s all just a bit of harmless fun?